1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cleaning processes which ensure easy cleaning of stains on a heating and pressuring member of an electrophotographic apparatus, and image forming apparatuses which employ such processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many suggestions have been made for electrophotographic image forming processes in which a roll of electrophotographic image-receiving sheet is used.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 05-208573 discloses using roll paper as printing paper in the printing step of a printing and bookbinding process by electrophotography in which image information is printed on the paper and subsequently binds a book.
In JP-A No. 06-27812, an electrophotographic apparatus is disclosed in which a cylindrical axis of a paper roll is unified with a toner containing part so that when the paper roll, which is one of consumables, is replaced with a new one, the toner containing part is also replaced, resulting in reducing the user's burden, improving the ease of maintenance, and enabling miniaturization of the apparatus.
Disclosed in JP-A No. 08-115033 is an electrophotographic recording apparatus which can use roll paper as recording paper and which can change transfer conditions between when using roll paper and when using cut sheet paper. With this recording apparatus, an advantage is that there is no need for being equipped with a special cleaning means because when the roll paper is being advanced, toner residue adhered to the apparatus is transferred to the recording paper which is advanced by a predetermined length.
JP-A No. 08-146831 discloses an electrophotographic transfer apparatus comprising a photoconductor, a means for feeding cut sheet transfer paper, a means for feeding roll transfer paper, a paper-feeding means detector for detecting which of the two paper-feeding means is being used, and a means for transferring an image on the transfer paper which is fed, wherein operating conditions for the transfer means are switched according to the paper-feeding means which is used.
However, in the above-mentioned technologies of prior art, toner or the thermoplastic resin of the toner image-receiving layer of an electrophotographic image-receiving sheet can easily offset onto the fixing member of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, resulting in a problem that it is difficult to clean such offset toner or thermoplastic resin after they are fixed.
JP-A No. 09-40245 discloses a suggestion in which a roll of electrophotographic image-receiving sheet is used for cleaning. The suggestion describes a process in which an image is formed by electrophotography, and a portion of roll sheet paper which is pulled out from a roll of long sheet is used for cleaning residue toner on a photoconductor which has not been transferred by carrying out only a transfer operation.
However, the suggestion in the JP-A No. 09-40245 is a process for cleaning non-fixed toner on the photoconductor, and therefore its object differs by nature from cleaning the thermoplastic resin or toner which is offset and fixed.